When they arrive at Naira’s house, she goes to open the gate and is interrupted by Kiran’s voice. “See you tomorrow. 10 a.m. on the dot, don’t fuck it up.” Naira nods. “Bye,” she replies before pulling away quickly.
She rushes upstairs to tell Emory about her unbelievable day, and as she finds her, they talk for a while before retreating to their rooms. Naira takes her phone out of her bag and notices a missed call from Fleur. A few rings and she picked up.
“Hey! How'd that job interview go?” Fleur asks excitedly.
“Dude, I don’t know where to start. Asha’s house is fucking huge. And she doesn’t live there alone. There’s this girl, Kiran, she’s kinda scary at first, but she’s nice enough, and then there are the twins, Dean and Chae… I think that's his name,” she pauses and continues. “Chae’s a bit flirty and Dean’s kinda sweet. And there’s Wayra, he’s hecka smart. They’re all really nice. They told me I’d be starting tomorrow!” Naira finishes, seemingly talking without catching a breath.
“That sounds really cool,” Fleur responds, and Naira can tell something is off.
“You okay?” Naira softens her voice.
“Yes, sorry, I’m very happy for you. It’s just… I've been a bit worried about Cole. It's been so long since we've seen him… Do you really trust that detective?”
The tone changes and a gloomy atmosphere soaks Naira. “Oh… yeah, he seems like he knows what he’s doing, and he told me that Cole’s gonna be fine. As bad as it sounds, I’m trying not to think about it as much. I just feel so powerless, and Randy doesn't seem to be doing too well. If Cole gets hurt because that asshole couldn't do his job, we’ll fuck him up, everybody will, including you Ms. Pacifist” She spits angrily.
“I don't know about that. Randy says he's pretty big,” Fleur says innocently.
“Well, I'll just kick him in the shins then,” Naira replies, causing the pair to erupt in laughter. As soon as they hang up, Naira calls Credence. He doesn’t pick up, but she doesn’t think too much of the failed attempt. She sends him a goodnight text and watches some Jetflix before slowly drifting to sleep while holding Denali.
Naira awakens earlier than usual. She checks her phone and reads the time, 7 a.m. Remembering that she hadn't gotten a chance to eat the soup that Dean prepared, she heats it up and takes a spoonful. After eating the huge bowl in under five minutes, she takes a shower and decides to get dressed. Not wanting to stand out as much as she did on the day of her interview, she opts to wear black slacks, flats, and a white satin shirt. Her hair is flat ironed and combed straight.
While brushing her teeth, she gets a call from Kiran. “Hey, Kiran, what’s up? I’m getting dressed right now, I’ll be there at 9:45,” she doesn't hear anything on the other line for a while. “Kiran?”
“Unlock your window” Kiran demands dryly. “Oh, and I brought Chae, he wouldn't stop bugging me,” Naira hears two knocks on her bedroom window. She walks toward her room, opens the door, and grabs her mouth in shock at the sight of a grinning Chae clinging onto Kiran's back, who’s hanging on the ledge of her window.
“Heyyy newbie! Let us in, we're gonna take you to work,” Chae insists, winking at Naira. She opens the window as quick as possible. They both climb in, and Kiran walks right past Naira, Chae leaps onto the bed and starts digging in her bedside dresser.
“Ooo, I wonder what kind of fun ‘toys’ you have in here,” he laughed obnoxiously before Kiran pulled him off the bed hanging him upside down by his ankle.
“Chae, you will behave. We're just here to pick her up, stop being a pest,” she commands after dropping him on the floor.
“Yeah creeper get off mah stuff,” Naira adds as she goes to shut her dresser drawer.
She walks them to the kitchen and prepares them some tea. They all sit at the table. “Do you have your bags packed?” Kiran asks.
“My bags?” Naira spits a little tea due to the surprise.
“I hope you didn't think you’d just be there for the day, Naira. You're probably going to be spending four days at the manor. You need clothes, and maybe your ‘toys’,” Chae says while sipping his tea and looking at her with salacious eyes.
Kiran lightly slaps the back of Chae’s head causing him to laugh while rubbing his head. “Oh yeah, I think I remember you guys saying something about that. I’ll start packing, two seconds.” Naira rushes into her room and shuts the door.
“Hurry, hurry!” Chae yells.
Five minutes pass and another door opens. “Uh hey, who are you guys?” Emory asks while rubbing her tired eyes.
Kiran smiles slightly and stares into her cup of tea. “So, you're the cute roommate Naira told me about. I'm Kiran, this is Chae.” Emory smiles and tries to hide her blushing by pretending to look for something in the fridge.
“You must be her new coworker. I was just going to cook breakfast. Can I whip up anything for you guys before you head out?” Emory asks while grabbing a carton of eggs.
“Nah we’re good, Chae and his brother made something for us back at the manor,” Kiran says smiling softly.
“I see,” she replies and takes a breath while putting the eggs down. She looks in the direction of Naira’s room, making sure she isn’t coming out yet. “Hey, I know you may not know her too well, and I know this is a job and not a friendship for you guys,” she looks back at them, “but she has an incredibly huge heart. She’s gonna mess up from time to time, but I want you to promise me that you’ll be there to guide her through the difficult parts, and try not to drown her. I really look up to Asha, and I know she’ll be patient with Naira,” Emory pleads, heating up a pan and cracking the eggs on it.
“You’re a great friend. Don’t worry, Naira is in safe hands, oh and those eggs need to be flipped. Here,” Chae stands up, “I know a great way to turn these into some egg muffins.” Emory looks at Kiran to find her already looking and smiling at her.
Naira stands behind the door smiling, she’d heard everything. After packing what she’d need for four days, she steps into the hallway, blown away by what she sees at the kitchen table. Kiran, Emory, and Chae share laughs and eat egg muffins.
“Oh my god, Naira, this guy’s amazing! I didn't even know we had ingredients for this stuff!” Emory yells in between laughter before running toward Naira with a plate in hand. She takes a bite and smiles before hugging Emory. Confused at first, her friend places the plate on the counter and hugs her back.
“Love you, Nana. Be safe and try to do a good job, okay? My reputation with Asha is on the line. Hell, I would have taken it if I wasn't so swamped with schoolwork, you better do me justice,” Emory jokes, not letting go of the hug.
“I will, thanks so much Em. I love you,” Naira says while grinning ear to ear.
“You do know she’s coming back on Saturday, right?” Chae says with a perplexed look on his face.
“Would you shut up!” Kiran shouts after slapping him on the back of his head.
Naira picks up a sleeping Denali and kisses him on the head.
“I’ll take good care of him, don't worry,” Emory looks at the time on the microwave. “You guys should get going, don’t wanna be late.”
They all say their goodbyes and the trio dive into the car. While they pull away, Naira’s phone rings.
“Hey, kid! How’s everything going back home?” Credence says, his voice in an echo like he’s in a bathroom.
“Hey, babe! Things are going good! I got a new job. Came with awesome coworkers, and the pay is great. How’re you? Everything alright?” Naira asks, excited for her news and to finally be hearing from her boyfriend.
“Oh, that’s great to hear. I can't wait to get back to you so we can celebrate,” a deep voice speaks in the background and Credence continues, “alright, I heard you man. Imma be done in a minute. Yeah, Nana, I’ve been alright, I should be home soon. I gotta go, but I'll call you next week, okay?” He hurriedly ends the call, leaving a concerned Naira on the other end of the line.
Kiran looks over. “He giving you trouble?”
“No, it's just… He’s in a weird situation, I’m kinda worried,” Stares out the window. Kiran looks over at Naira thoughtfully and returns her gaze to the road.
The trio arrives at the monolithic stone manor, its black edges jutting out into the gray morning sky. They pull into the long drive and go down into the parking garage dimly lit by xenon lights. As she finds herself with her mouth open in shock, Naira wonders how long it will take before this all seems routinary. They all step into the elevator and Chae gets off at the lower level. Kiran tells Naira to tag along as she walks her to the sleeping quarters.
“You’ll be sleeping here. I’ll give you a walkie-talkie so we can contact each other whenever. Don’t be too shy to use it,” Kiran says as she opens the bedroom door for Naira. The bedroom makes her room back in the apartment look like a closet. The stone floors are so well polished Naira can see her reflection. Every detail feels luxurious and French colonial-themed. The warm tones contrast sharply with the colder tones of the rest of the mansion.
“And this,” Naira scratches her forehead, “this is all mine?” she asks, her eyes wide open.
“For the time being, yeah. Just try not to make a mess. It was made for our warm-blooded guests, so it won't be as cold as the rest of the house. I'll let you unpack. Call me on the walkie once you’re done. Asha’s expecting you in twenty, don’t be late.” She replies and steps out, shutting the door behind her.
Naira takes a deep breath and drops her things as she takes flight to land on the bed. “Hell yeah! This is the life!” She exhales. “I can get used to this,” she whispers to herself. She quickly puts her things away and calls Kiran on the walkie-talkie to let her know she’s ready. As she opens the door, she sees a quick blur, and before she knows it, Kiran is standing in front of her.
“Let’s get moving, slowpoke,” Kiran demands dryly before leading Naira toward Asha’s office.
As they knock on the door, it opens by itself, and they see Asha putting her finger to her mouth, gesturing at the pair to be quiet. Asha continues her conversation with whoever’s on the other line. “Whatever she’s selling, the customer is definitely buying,” Naira thinks to herself. The floor of her office is packed with glistening black tiles, as are the walls, which are decorated with diamonds that have been placed in swirling patterns. Naira can’t help but feel a chill run down her back.
“It was just procured some odd months ago, I can assure you the quality is something out of this world. I really paid attention to detail this time,” Asha smiles at Naira before continuing, receiving a nod back from her new employee. “If everything is approved, you can expect it to arrive a month after your first payment,” she nods a few times. “Alright, sounds fantastic. I’ll let you get back to it, enjoy the rest of your day,” Asha closes before hanging up the phone.
Asha blinks for a split second at Kiran, who pats Naira on her shoulder before leaving and shutting the door behind her. “Your first day of training starts here, I’ll show you to your office, and I'll teach you how to properly service guests,” Asha says. Naira nods her head, agreeing, and receiving a warm smile in return. Asha begins walking out of the door with Naira following closely behind her. As they reach the office, Naira studies it. She sees a waiting room and a silver desk that sits toward the left wall of Asha’s office, the desk stands out more for aesthetics, than for its practicality.
“Guests will come in through that door and you are to direct them into my office, or tell them to wait. You’ll be in communication with Kiran, who will be giving you the heads up on who to expect. The twins will give you a shout when my food is prepared, and Wayra will be telling you when the weekly book cart is ready to be brought up and down,” Asha rattles off, making it hard for Naira to keep up, so she just nods along with a polite smile. “You can sit at your desk now, and try to relax a bit. Oh, and another thing. If the light above my door is red, you are not to enter under any circumstance. Are we clear?” Asha clarifies as she stands in her doorway.
“Yes ma’am, I'll do my best,” Naira sits at her desk, feeling her hands tremble out of nervousness.
“It’s just Asha, remember?” she smiles, and Naira catches a red glint in her eyes. “You’ll be getting off in 4 hours. I won’t be expecting anyone, and I’m passing on lunch, so you can go to your room earlier than your scheduled time,” she explains as she shuts the door behind her.
“Just Asha, I’ll have to remember that,” Naira says silently.
She fidgeted with everything she could find on her desk, later scanning the room she was in, and was in awe of how sumptuous it was. She hadn’t even realized three hours had already passed until she sneakily checked her phone. Sucked into the screen, she spent thirty minutes browsing websites, and she hears the door to the waiting room suddenly click. Her heart dropped to her stomach as she hurriedly put her phone in her lap and crossed her hands in front of her, trying to look as professional as she could.
A blur rushes into the room.
“I see you're being sneaky, kid,” Kiran whispers behind her.
Naira almost jumps out of her skin. “Oh, no, no. I was just checking the time, I-” she tries to excuse herself and Kiran sits on her desk.
“I’m just fucking with you,” she replies, her eyes low and cold, her smile brief. “When that light’s on, you won’t be seeing Asha for some time, so you can scroll and text all you want. Just be sure to watch for the light and listen out for your walkie. I'm surprised you got any connection here. Wi-fi's been crap for a while now,” Kiran adds dryly.
“Yeah, I really don’t wanna make a bad impression on my first day. It's just that there’s nothing to do in here aside from sitting around.” Naira replies nervously. “I'm getting bored as hell,” she confesses in a whisper.
Kiran bites the inside of her cheek as if to contain a grin. “Mhm, that tends to be the case. Just try not to watch the clock too much,” she adds. “I’d suggest listening to some podcasts. Oh, and you’re off the clock now. You can head upstairs if you want, I’ll have Dean bring dinner to you,” she finishes before walking out.
Naira gathers her things and begins to leave. “Have a good night, Asha,” she says quietly before leaving and shutting the door behind her.
“Goodnight, sweetheart,” Asha’s voice warmly rings out from the walkie-talkie.
Naira pauses in her tracks, “Oh my god... she heard everything!” she quietly exclaims to herself.
“You live with vampires now, learn how to whisper,” Kiran’s mischievous laugh can be heard through the hallways, but Naira can’t tell where from. “I was whispering,” she fusses.
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